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Political ads: the good, the bad, and the really bad

Karalee Evans

by Karalee Evans

10 Feb 05:40am

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Filed under: Advertising, Elections, Kristina Keneally, Labor, Liberal

30 comments

The season’s latest campaign ads follow the same old tired plot of black and white attack hysteria, gloomy (or comical) music and an authoritative male voiceover reviling the failings of a tired old Government.

The latest from the NSW Liberals opens with a black and white scene of our lead character (the embattled NSW Premier, Kristina Keneally) admitting her failing only to be ear ambushed with a chorus of our ad’s tag line “same old Labor, same old tricks”. But we’re not left wondering for long what the plot is.

Our storyline of the sorry tale of NSW Labor’s leadership’s mistakes and failures becomes glaring apparent with the TV interview vox pops of our supporting characters Morris Iemma and Nathan Rees. And in case we didn’t get the ad’s message, we’re treated to a catchy jingle of “same old Labor, same old failure” on nauseous rhyming repeat. 

Unfortunately the upcoming March NSW state election has again bred a bevy of predictable attack ads. And they’re holding true to the three rules of Australian political advertising:

1. Imagery - black and white (either still shots or videos of politicians taken from uncomfortable press conferences or news stories on the latest indiscretion).

2. Music - horror film-esque suspense designed to reinforce to the viewer that the pollie in question is evil (or conversely jovial circus music poking fun at the candidate’s failures or caricature-like body parts)

3. Storyline - reinforce history of failures, usually by repeating pollie’s own admissions of guilt/failure/mistakes or a timeline of decay of increased traffic congestion, higher taxes, longer hospital waiting lists, more pollution, and so on.

Why do our political parties only campaign on a negative, attack platform?

We saw the same pattern in the 2010 Federal election, the 2010 Victorian state election, the 2010 Tasmanian state election and even the 2010 South Australian state election.

Where are our positive party advertisements that provide the voting viewer with policy and candidate information with warm, fuzzy music, soft lighting and smiling, happy people?

Longitudinal studies into behavioural change marketing have found that positive reinforcement is more successful in effecting desired change than negative, scare messages.

People are more likely to listen if they are provided with a clear path to action. A good, recent example of this positive reinforcement is the 2010 WorkSafe “the most important reason for making your workplace safe is not at work at all” television advertisements.

The message is clear; take the desired care at work so you can come home to your loving family. The imagery and film treatment is bright, positive and presented like you (the viewer) are a fly on the wall of people just like you, behaving in the way you should behave.

Public health professionals and social marketers understand that people don’t change behaviour easily. In fact, people are more likely to adopt a new idea quickly if it exhibits these characteristics:

  • It has a relative advantage over what exists
  • It’s compatible with social norms
  • It’s not too complex
  • It can be “tried out”
  • You can see someone either doing or using it.

A critical element of a successful behavioural change strategy is presenting the targeted audience with two clear outcomes; action and exchange.

In other words, be clear in what you want your audience to do. And there must be an exchange. If you want someone to give up, or modify, an old behaviour or accept a new one, you must offer that person something very appealing in return.

In commercial marketing, there are tangible exchanges (give me $4.50 and I’ll give you a Bonsoy decafe latte) and intangible exchanges (by drinking the coffee, you’re also receiving everything that goes with the image of the Bonsoy brand).

Imagine if our political parties approached campaigning with the same insight.

The NSW state election is a behavioural change case. NSW Liberals are asking the voting public to change 12 years of behavior by voting for the Right instead of the Left.  And the Greens are asking the people of Australia’s first state to vote for a credible third option.

Just like in Victoria late last year, a long history of behaviour is the target of the Liberals’ (and Greens’) desire for change. The action the NSW Liberals want the voters to take is to tick the box of one of their candidates instead of Labor or (heavens forbid), Family First.

Of course, this is all a little bit whimsical. Perhaps this method of political advertising won’t be adopted readily by our political parties simply because they don’t have a clear exchange. I mean, that would mean our political parties had to have policies to offer the voter.

In this environment, the exchange is the policy benefits to the voter. And as we saw in the 2010 Federal election, policies are severely lacking by all parties. Well, except for the policy of reviling the Opposition’s lack of policy.

But all is not lost. There’s always the other tried and true film genre of Westerns - above - adopted by Dale Peterson from Alabama.

Can you imagine Barry O’Farrell using this advertising formula? Can anyone lend the Liberals a horse?

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30 comments

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    • Edward James says:

      07:20am | 10/02/11

      After thirty years of taking turns there is only attack ads left. When I tell people to vote Liberal in March if they want to be certain of a change of government, I feel it is necessary to point out their vote for change is not a commitment to support Liberal for ever. Because it is not! The Liberal Coalition is simply the best tool to get the job done. And the job is to sweep out the garbage which has accumulated over almost thirty years in the oldest parliament in this country, push it out into the gutter where it belongs. Not onto the opposition benches for a few years of taxpayer funded R n R. Many politicians will often take an opportunity to tell me I should play the politics and not the person. Politicians are first and foremost all about their personal values, so I point out the woeful personal values of so many party members are elevated to represent. The Labor Party politicians and the party are feeding on each and from each other. The Labor Party has shrunk to become politically inbred there is so little of substance left,  it consumes itself and everything around it. Rubbish politicians must be excised from Parliament as part of the peoples journey back toward honest representative government. Consider Verity Firth and her clear statement of self interest which sees her align herself in an attempt to survive politically just as Prime Minister Gillard has done. Come March don’t do half a job vote for change and be willing to vote for change again . Edward James   Link   http://bit.ly/EJ_PNewsAds

      Reply

    • iansand says:

      08:05am | 10/02/11

      This is an argument to vote Green, not Liberal.  The Liberals are part of the same old tired machine.  The only reason that this is not obvious is that they have been out of power for so long.

    • Ed Balls says:

      10:24am | 10/02/11

      Lucky we have a good Independant up here in Swansea-Gillian Sneddon-the lady who outed Milton the Molester, and for her troubles was blackballed by the Labor Party and lost her job.So much for protection for whistleblowers from the Keneally government.On my HTV Labor will be last and Libs will be second last.The diumvirate of Labor and Liberal governments has stuffed up NSW for the last 30 years.Give someone else a go, and someone who is free to vote how they wish,and not be told how to vote by the faceless men of both major parties.

    • Edward James says:

      08:57pm | 11/02/11

      @ iansand I am surprised you see what I wrote that way. I am trying to point out if people start voting for change and change again they can slowly and deliberately sweep the garbage out of our parliament. Research my work product on this Link   http://bit.ly/ej_pnewsads  and you will see I have for years referred to Liberal Coalition and Labor as “the two parties not much preferred”  Politicians / political parties were once tools controlled by the people, it is time individuals moved toward returning representative government to NSW. On March 26 all those people who have been convinced their vote has no value should try just once more to exercise their vote and put Labor and any politician close to Labor at the bottom of the ballot paper. There are exceptions to using Liberal as the best tool to push as many Labor politicians out of parliament as possible. We should remember Gillian Sneddon who was pilloried for assisting police oust Milton the Horrible Orkopolous fro Swansea and Parliament. She is standing as an independent against Robert Coombs in the seat of Swansea. Everybody needs to send a message, we do not want the oldest parliament in Australia to have a reputation for being a house of ill repute. I expect everyone in the electorate of Swansea including Labor Party members to put Gillian Sneddon first on their ballot paper.  In the electorate of Gosford where Marie Andrews is jumping ship. And I have been working for political change for more than ten years. In my opinion the only candidate in a position to keep Labor from retaining the seat of Gosford in opposition is Liberal Chris Holstein. It follows from that, if you want to be certain to keep Labor out of the seat of Gosford and more importantly off the opposition bench in our Parliament you will put Liberal first. A vote for greens this March is running a risk Katie Smith may just scrape in on the left over support from Maria Andrews and the damage done by spoiler votes.  Right across NSW people should vote to do to Labor what Labor have done to them and the Premier State!  Every Labor candidate we stop from attracting four percent of the vote pool we stop from taking still more of our money. Voting for change is about the first step in dismantling the two party tyranny. Voting for Greens this March in NSW is a vote to remain stagnant. By making an effort to direct your own preferences putting Labor last on every ballot paper in every electorate we can ensure a very effective first step in the many needed to re introduce representative government in NSW. We the people do have the power to shake the base of politics.  Edward James

    • Naomi says:

      08:57pm | 12/02/11

      Why direct your preferences at all?
      Don’t you know that you’re allowed to just put a 1 in the box of the person you want?
      That way there is no other person who can take the vote from the person you want…..
      It’s just an idea for you all….

    • Kirsty says:

      07:34am | 10/02/11

      Instead of making fun of the other side can each party just say what they plan to actually do, preferably with examples so we know what we are voting for instead of what we are NOT voting for?!  High School SRC candidates have more policy ideas than these people.

      Reply

    • Mahhrat says:

      07:40am | 10/02/11

      I would totally vote for that guy, on the condition he took his rifle into Congress every day.

      Reply

    • Zeta says:

      08:12am | 10/02/11

      This is why you don’t let private sector ad wonks run political campaigns.

      Election campaigns aren’t about buying anything, or changing behaviour, or endearing an individual to the wider electorate, or presenting new ideas. They’re about forcing people to make a decision while standing in a polling booth looking at 2-9 names on a green slip of paper.

      Television ads aren’t a big factor in that decision. Political ad campaigns aren’t campaigns as advertisers know them. They’re more like the placeholder pieces used by Coke, or Pepsi, reminders to the consumer that the product still exists, but you’re not meant to make your decision to buy it based on that alone. No matter how many ads for Coke you see on TV, you won’t buy Coke unless when you go to your grocery store there is Coke on the shelf that is easy to find, at a price you think is acceptable.

      In my experience, every single 20 something with a marketing / communications degree and a focus on ‘social networking’ secretly wants to work in the f***ing West Wing because they think they could do it better with a ‘viral ad’ or something.

      But that’s not how you win an election. You win an election by showing up to the polling booth at 4am and plastering it with posters and making sure the last how to vote card a punter gets before they walk in the door is yours. An overwhelming number of people don’t make the decision of who they’re going to vote for until that moment.

      You win an election by sending candidates out, on foot, to glad hand every man woman and child in a 30 square kilometer radius. You win an election by winning the news cycle, by making sure you walk away from the 5, 6, 6:30 and 7 o’clock news with a less bloody nose than the other guy. 

      Ads just serve as a reminder that there even is an election on, they’re a kind of theatre. Like a high concept blockbuster. People trot out to see it even if they aren’t really interested. And once they’re there, they expect certain things, like attack ads, corflute posters, yellow baloons and smiling Young Liberal/Labor kids handing out brouchures.

      If you over think that formula, and start making it too interesting, Joe and Jane Mundane aren’t sure if they’re getting what they want out of the experience and might vote for the other guy.

      A lot of people in advertising have said to me, ‘we’re sick of seeing the same campaign every election’ to which I always respond - ‘but someone always wins, don’t they?’

      Reply

    • Karalee says:

      10:07am | 10/02/11

      Definitely agree that elections are more than campaign ads, and that grass-roots campaigning and candidate engagement are an important piece of the pie. But elections aren’t won at the polling booths alone. We are seeing that Australians make their decision prior to polling day. And the trend for 2010 was indeed indecision and hung parliaments.

      A good owned campaign can play a critical role in getting a party across the line. What I’m arguing is that changing demographics lends itself to changing strategies to engage the voting public.

      The NSW State Election is by all accounts, the Liberals’ to lose. There’s no need to remind the public of the Labor failinings. The MSM is doing a good enough job of that for them. But surely there’s a chance that the attack and mock ads can indeed backfire when people are desperate for hopeful change?

    • Zeta says:

      11:00am | 10/02/11

      111 years of Federal Parliamentary elections and the only strategy that’s changed is direct mail, and that’s the only strategy that engages effectively with the trend toward early voters. Considering that pre-poll place voting is increasing faster than pre-poll postal voting, small campaigns are still better off investing in manning pre-poll stations then they are swamping people with direct mail.

      You make the assumption people are desperate for hopeful change, there’s no polling data to back that up. I’m sure the likes of EMC could push some out, but in the meantime, the only thing you can extrapolate from polling data is that people want change. Hope? Hope’s purely subjective and the campaign hasn’t been run with the resources to address subjective issues. Elections are about blacks and whites - hence the color scheme. I personally prefer Orange and Teal, it activates different areas of the brain, but whatever, digital color correction is expensive and time consuming. Us good, them bad. Good good, bad bad. I know it hurts, but assuming people are anything more than monkeys eager to be manipulated by their televisions and people with great teeth is your first mistake. They want good and bad. ‘Hope’ is neither and doesn’t fit into the campaigning paradigm except as rhetoric to chew up seconds in a stump speech.

      And the demographic is not changing. The demographic of people who buy things changes over time, thus keeping marketeers in jobs. The demographic of voters never changes - everyone votes. Everyone, at their most basic level, wants the same things.

      Finally, I can only think of maybe one occassion where a negative ad has backfired but I can think of a lot of occassions where a negative ad has worked. Labor’s negative ads against Peter Debnam smashed him. Rudd’s negative ads about Workchoices smashed Howard. When Tasmanian Labor’s anti-Greens phone message ads backfired, they still won.

      The ads that don’t work are the inbetweeners. The ads that’s are neither positive, nor negative. The ‘give Labor a kick in the pants’ ads from the early 90s spring to mind.

      Given that negative television advertising has never backfired before, I can’t see it happening now.

    • FedUp says:

      11:47am | 10/02/11

      Thank god for some sanity, and a shot of reality in the mix, showing a more nuanced perspective Zeta.

      The electorate don’t want to “buy” Politicians; it isn’t Macleans versus Colgate. To trivialise it to such market terms does democracy a disservice and underestimates the electorate.

    • LJ says:

      08:26am | 10/02/11

      That is the most awesome ad ever! Dale Peterson is #1

      Reply

    • Just Interested says:

      08:27am | 10/02/11

      The NSW Libs are simply making the point that the ALP has form in making an ‘apology’ to cover past errors in an attempt to ‘move on’ and that it appears that notwithstanding the apology, nothing has improved.
      There is nothing intrinsically wrong with this - in fact if they didn’t make the point, they’d be pretty dumb.
      That they may not have any tangible policies is something for Labor to point out - undoubtedly in a negative ad.

      Reply

    • Carz says:

      08:52am | 10/02/11

      The simple truth is that political parties don’t win elections, they lose them. This means that the other side gets in by default. It isn’t so much about chosing who you want as who you don’t want. The best example of this was shown in the 2010 Federal election. People went to the Greens and independents because they have had a gutfull of the major parties. Maybe both Labor and the Libs need to realise this and do something about it.

      Reply

    • hot tub political machine says:

      10:34am | 10/02/11

      Yes the 2010 federal ads genuinely reminded me of the 1996 adds.

      Reply

    • Keeping them honest says:

      10:39am | 10/02/11

      This is a bizarre article. Just because people don’t report on the positive ads, doesn’t mean they don’t exist.

      Where were all the news articles when the Liberals ran this ad? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUXkCy5hgO4

      Reply

    • Edward James says:

      12:10pm | 10/02/11

      I have been writing and publishing my own full page political attack ads for years, I am proud to have destroyed several political careers on the Central Coast. In fact I am starting to enjoy myself. Why anyone would put up with lies and deception from their elected representatives Local State or Federal is beyond me. I have worked very hard to pursue honest open government. Here is a link to well over thirty ads which run in the Peninsula News and Gosford Central Community News   http://bit.ly/EJ_PNewsAds
      Edward James 0243419140

      Reply

    • Zeta says:

      12:39pm | 10/02/11

      Why didn’t you do the world a favour and destroy Belinda Neal’s?

    • Dria says:

      01:08pm | 10/02/11

      well done Edward
      we all need to start local to remove the scum in local, state and federal politics

    • Edward James says:

      02:19pm | 10/02/11

      @ Zeta have you tried the phone number? People know both Belinda Neal and John Della Bosca are finished politically.  Her elevation into the seat of Robertson was too much for both of them they self destructed. I have been politically active for almost twelve years now.  A lot of my work product has found its way into main stream media and onto TV, I am getting pretty good at what I do. @ Dria is right it is our job to work hard and remove the scum from Local State and Federal politics, keep in mind it is the grass roots party members who preselect those who get to stand and ask for our votes to be given in trust. People come to me for assistance because they are not well represented.  Here is a link to well over thirty full page ads with plenty of instructive photos which have run in the Peninsula News and Gosford Central Community News   http://bit.ly/ej_pnewsads
      Edward James 0243419140

    • Ed Balls says:

      02:33pm | 10/02/11

      More power to Ed James,aka The Gosford Foghorn

      Reply

    • Stewart Henstock says:

      04:11pm | 10/02/11

      You obviously don’t live in NSW!
      No way can any party put positive spin on what they can do for this state.
      It’s FUBAR.
      All we can do as citizens is elect a party which we hope will not be as bad as the one leaving.
      It’s a no brainer Labor suck but what have the Libs been doing the last few million electoral cycles.
      I tell ya it will probably just boil down to the fact that Keneally is hot and that the other bloke needs to cycle more with Abbott.

      Reply

    • Daniel says:

      04:48pm | 10/02/11

      I have seen some very bad adverts from the political far right.

      Reply

    • Stewart Henstock says:

      05:46pm | 10/02/11

      Really??
      Are you refering to the US?
      Because we don’t have a political far right in this country.

    • benno says:

      07:14pm | 10/02/11

      Just imagine how all the precious people of NSW would react if a would be-be pollie wielded a gun in his ad. It would be hilarious to watch them shriak

      Reply

    • Naomi says:

      07:52pm | 12/02/11

      Many thanks go out to Ed Balls and Edward James (aka The Gosford Foghorn)!
      The Independent Candidate for Swansea - Gillian Sneddon, is one of those we encourage to bring honesty into Parliament. A strong willed woman who has already proven that she will not be bullied or back down from stand over tactics formed against her.
      Edward James, you are quite an intelligent man, I commend the way in which you (not-so-quietly) put the local Politicians in their place, quite frankly, I am surprised that any Politician in our area is game to put a foot out of place with you around to catch them out.
      For any person who lives between Redhead/Jewellstown/Valentine in the north, and San Remo/Doyalson/Summerland Point in the south, you find yourself with quite a fantastic opportunity, that is, “to remove Labor from office in our area”, don’t bother with Liberal, put an Independent in as a representative of your area, if there is one thing you can be sure of, it’s that you will be well represented.
      As for policies, well, get yourself on to facebook, type in “Vote 1 Gillian Sneddon” and you will see what this gutsy little wonder is all about. On the other hand, there is also a website that has a direct link, you can find it at; http://www.gillianspage.com. Vote 1 Gillian Sneddon “Honest Voice, Best Choice”

      Reply

    • Naomi says:

      06:08pm | 13/02/11

      You are correct Edward, I am aware of the article written by Miranda Devine. It couldn’t be closer to the truth if she bore witness herself. I have read many of your articles including the one you make reference to. If you are not averse to being a supporter of Gillians, you can find her on Facebook; Vote 1 Gillian Sneddon. There you will find what she stands for and her policy outlines, we must get enough voters to bring her into Parliament, and if enough voters are prepared to vote against the major parties, it will be biggest wake up call ever. VOTE 1 GILLIAN SNEDDON “HONEST VOICE, BEST CHOICE”

    • Edward James says:

      06:22pm | 14/02/11

      @ Naomi I am considering some cash support for Gillian as an independent in the seat of Swansea. I have tried to support her for years with my published comments, and mentioning her fight with a corrupt labor party in paid ads i run in the Peninsula News.  It is sad but so many people are just too frightened to get involved in politics. Never the less i hope they will put Labor last on every ballot they get their hands on. The first step in a return to representative government is to make sure Labor get nothing for those who stand. keep in mind each Labor candidate who attracts less than 4% of the vote pool gets nothing back toward expenses! It is your money people and you may need it to pay for electricity. Edward James 0243419140.

      Reply

    • Naomi says:

      09:54pm | 15/02/11

      Oh I have that well in mind, I am aware of the 4% threshold of votes, wouldn’t it be great if they got less than that in the electorate…... There are so many of the oppositions posters around, if they didn’t get their money back it would be an interesting turn of events, at this point can I just say how strange it is that in a neighbouring electorate the Sitting Labor Member doesn’t even have the party he’s representing on his posters….. don’t think that it hasn’t gone unnoticed Mr Morris…........
      Back on the 4% pool, I am sure that I could certainly put it towards the increase in cost of living that this government has put on us, but not for long, with ambassadors for integrity in our midst, Parliament will again become a safe place to tread….

 
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